The Great Weasley Bake Off
by HalfASlug
Summary: Ron needs help and only his Mum is up to the task.


_A/N: A prompt from diva-gonza over on tumblr:_

"Ron learns how to cook to impress Hermione from his Mum - finds out he's pretty good at it once he quits burning the meat. 8D"

 _Disclaimer: I'm not JKR or able to cook_

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"Mum? I need a favour."

"What now, Ron?" Molly sighed as she flicked her wand. A pile of plates rose from the side and gracefully stacked themselves in a cupboard by her head.

"Can you - um - because - it's just-"

"Spit it out."

As she dried her hands on a tea towel, she watched her youngest son bury his hands deeper into his pockets.

"Can you teach me how to cook?" he asked.

Of all things she had been expecting, that was not one of them. "Sorry, dear?"

"It's just Hermione's parents are visiting," he said, the tips of his ears growing steadily pinker, "and I said I'd cook so they won't think I'm a waste of space and all that."

Molly dropped the tea towel and moved to stand in front of him. She held his face in her hands and did her best not to smile, knowing it'd only embarrass him. "That's so sweet."

"Don't start," Ron grumbled. It might have been intimidating if his cheeks weren't currently being squished together.

"Of course I'll help," she chuckled before levelling him with a frown. "Just don't call yourself a waste of space."

Ron rolled his eyes as she summoned a cookbook from one of the shelves.

"Right, so you'll want something impressive, but not too impressive so it doesn't look like you're showing off. And Merlin knows you inherited your father's cooking skills so-"

"Mum."

"I love the man but would it hurt him to season something?"

"Mum?"

"Not every meal needs bacon-"

"Mum!"

"Yes, dear?" Molly looked up to see Ron was regarding her with apprehension. She felt a glow of pride that, even well into adulthood, she could still make her children nervous.

"It's just… it's Hermione's parents so…" He took a deep breath. "I want to do it without magic."

Molly felt the colour leave her face.

"Um… Mum?"

"It's okay, Ronnie," she breathed. Teaching her sons to cook to impress their in-laws was something she'd always looked forward to when they were growing up and helping her bake. She just hadn't expected the first two sets of in-laws her cooking skills would be challenged by would be Muggles and French.

Bill had been just about ready to go back to Egypt by the time he'd mastered a dish she knew would stand up to the Delacour's so-called cuisine but she wasn't about to let anyone think a Weasley couldn't cook a decent meal.

Molly Weasley had never stepped down from a challenge in her life. She wasn't about to start now.

"Mum?" Ron asked uneasily.

"Pass me my mixing bowl," she said, stowing her wand in her apron. "We've got a pie to bake."

A week later, Ron nervously swallowed a fork full of the pie he had spent all day baking. It had been a lot harder than he expected, especially with his Mum turning into some kind of culinary drill Sargent, but he was proud with the final product. The Grangers didn't need to know about the various messes he'd produced throughout the week. Or how many bowls he'd smashed.

Hermione didn't either.

"Hmm," hummed Mrs Granger. She finished her mouthful and turned to Ron. "This is really good pastry, Ron. Reminds me of that little bakery in Cornwall we visited last year," she added to her husband.

"Might even be better," he agreed. "And you made this all from scratch?"

Ron nodded and felt Hermione's hand squeeze his thigh. He glanced at her and saw she was beaming at him. He sat up a little straighter in his chair.

"The mash is incredible as well," Mrs Granger continued with a smile. "Definitely better than Hermione's."

Everyone at the table chuckled - everyone except for Ron that was.

A sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, he glanced at Hermione and saw how fixed her smile was. He stabbed a bit of chicken with his fork and tried not to think about how he was probably going to spend the next week eating Hermione's not-so-subtle attempts to make exemplary mashed potato and pretending it was the greatest thing he'd ever eaten. This would then be followed by her insisting he was lying and maybe a full-on breakdown when she convinced herself she couldn't do anything.

Still, he consoled himself as Hermione gave a forced laugh next to him, it'd be worth it for when she finally made something she was truly proud of and gave him that smile he'd been daydreaming about since he was fourteen.

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 _Thanks for reading!_


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